Kings banish Celtics, 96-91

BOSTON – Kevin Martin scored 14 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter and Ron Artest added 19 points and 11 rebounds to help the Sacramento Kings snap a seven-game losing streak with a 96-91 win over the Boston Celtics on Friday night.

Brad Miller had 18 points and Mike Bibby chipped in with 11 for the Kings, whose last win was against New York on Jan. 2. Boston, on the other hand, lost its sixth straight and fell to an NBA-worst 4-14 at home. The Celtics haven’t won in Boston since beating Denver on Dec. 15.

Delonte West led the Celtics with 25 points, while Al Jefferson had 23 points and 11 rebounds and Ryan Gomes added 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Sacramento outscored Boston 34-24 in the fourth to avoid losing eight straight for the first time since dropping 12 in a row in the 1997-98 season. Martin made all five of his shots in the quarter, and Artest and Miller each scored eight in the final quarter.

The Kings trailed 78-73 midway through the fourth, but went on a 10-2 run to take the lead.

Boston tied it at 83 with 3:05 left on West’s 3-pointer, but Artest made two free throws to put Sacramento up for good the next time down the floor.

The Celtics got back in the game when they pulled to within 91-88 on Gomes’ three-point play with 21.8 seconds left, but Martin took the inbounds pass and zoomed down the floor for a layup.

In his first game since missing four with a sore back, West shot 10-of-16 from the floor and added six assists in 25 minutes.

Bobcats 96, Hawks 75

ATLANTA – Gerald Wallace, playing for the first time this month, sparked Charlotte with 18 points and 15 rebounds and the Bobcats rolled to a 96-75 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.

76ers 98, Heat 95

PHILADELPHIA – Andre Iguodala and Andre Miller each had 16 points and nine assists and the Philadelphia 76ers held on after blowing a 17-point lead to beat the Miami Heat 98-95 in overtime on Friday night.

Jazz 102, Raptors 94

TORONTO – Mehmet Ohkur scored 27 points and Carlos Boozer had 23 points and 19 rebounds to lead the Utah Jazz to 102-94 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.

The Wizards dealt the Magic their fourth straight loss in a skid that knocked Orlando off the top of the division.

Nets 101, Knicks 100

NEW YORK – Clifford Robinson tipped in a missed shot with 2.8 seconds remaining, giving New Jersey a 101-100 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday night in a game the Nets controlled most of the way and almost let get away.

New Jersey led by 12 points with 3:43 left before Stephon Marbury brought the Knicks all the way back. David Lee’s follow gave New York a one-point lead with 9.7 seconds left, but Robinson saved the Nets from an embarrassing loss when he leaped over Eddy Curry to tip in Vince Carter’s miss.